It makes you want to hear more of the story by creating an atmosphere of mystery and danger. Which for those of us with obsessive personalities and a near-pathological drive for completion, works really nicely as a training program. Zombies, Run! uses an innovative blend of story and resource collection to turn the grind of running for exercise into a level-grinding expedition. I use the Portal 2 soundtrack, which is a nice, upbeat way to imagine the end of civilization as we know it, but listening to tracks by the Ink Spots give the whole adventure a very Fallout 3 retro-futuristic angle, which can be nice for your more leisurely strolls. Interspersed between transmissions, you’ll hear your own music from a playlist that you designate. It also tells you a story via radio transmissions from Abel Township, an enclave of human survivors in your typical zombie-infested post-apocalyptic wilderness. When you start running, press “start mission ” when you stop, press “stop.” In between, the app tracks your distance and pace and lets you know when you’ve collected items (which happens automatically at seemingly random time intervals). In that sense, Zombies, Run! is all carrot and no stick. But for a beginner like me, it’s nice not to be heavily penalized for my lack of speed and stamina. ![]() Of course, I’m a slightly overweight gamer in my mid-thirties who until recently was convinced that spending more than ten minutes in direct sunlight would cause me to burst into flames, so in my case, the game really ought to be called Zombies, Speedwalk! But although the game works just as well as a walking app, the alternate title isn’t half as catchy. The concept is simple: to engage users in their running by convincing them that their lives are at stake. ![]() It’s exactly this kind of mindset that inspired the new iPhone game/fitness tracker/audio adventure, Zombies, Run! (due out on Android this spring). And, honestly, if you do start running, your odds are pretty good because, while you might not be faster than the monster, you’re almost definitely faster than me. In fact, I’ve been saying for years that if you ever see me running, you’d better join me because there’s something very fast and very deadly not far behind. I didn’t even run as a child - my idea of playing “tag” was to sit serenely in the center of the playground while my classmates taunted me until somebody forgot we were playing a game and accidentally stepped within arms’ reach. I play and write about video games for fun and profit, so it should come as no surprise to my readership that I’m not exactly an athlete.
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